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Logan • Five Mountain West Conference teams are already bowl eligible and two more — Utah State and Colorado State — can cross the threshold by getting their sixth win of the season this weekend.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Mountain West will not qualify a representative for any New Year's Six bowl game. No conference team has less than three losses.
Utah State is 5-5 after a roller-coaster ride through the its first 10 games. Since a three-game winning streak, the Aggies have lost three of their last four.
Utah State plays Nevada on Saturday at Maverik Stadium. At 6-4, the Wolf Pack are already bowl eligible but, to underscore the Mountain West's unpredictability, they're the only team this season to be beaten by Wyoming (1-10).
So, is the Mountain West balanced or beleaguered?
"All the teams are pretty good and nobody's great," Utah State coach Matt Wells said. "You look at the Mountain Division … [and] you've got three teams bowl eligible and two more playing for the right to get into a bowl game. You could have five out of six on our side of the conference going to bowl games. Teams have gotten better, I think, but you don't have that one dominant team right now."
Misleading turnovers
Utah State has intercepted nine passes and recovered 10 fumbles this season. The Aggies rank fifth in the 12-team Mountain West in turnover margin at plus-three.
But look closer.
Utah State's defense has forced one turnover — an interception by safety Devin Centers at New Mexico — in the last four games. Eight of the 19 turnovers forced by its defense this season came in one game — a 52-26 victory over Boise State.
Wells sees the turnover situation as cyclical, however, and thinks the Aggie defense is due for some more.
"As long as you keep talking it and coaching it and emphasizing it, they will happen," Wells said. "… It's hard to put a finger on — why you get them in droves a little bit and why sometimes there's a drought. We're not doing anything different. The players aren't and the coaches aren't. They just haven't come. But they will."
Staying aggressive
The Aggies committed a critical roughing the punter penalty in the final minutes of last week's 35-28 loss at Air Force. It allowed the Falcons to retain possession and milk more time off the clock.
According to Wells, the decision to go for the block was his call and, going forward, Utah State will continue to be aggressive in such situations.
"If you always think you're going to rough the kicker, you will never block one," Wells said.
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Nevada at Utah St.
P Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
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